Hello People!
Hope you all are healthy and safe.
In this blog, we will be talking about the ‘World Zoonoses Day’ which is celebrated every July 6. We will discuss in detail about zoonosis, its history, significance, theme and other important key points.
What do Zoonoses mean?
Zoonoses are infectious diseases that spread from animals to humans or vice versa. This disease can be caused by harmful germs like bacteria, parasites, viruses and fungi. They can spread to humans through direct contact or through water, food and environment. Zoonotic diseases are common in the United States and around the world. Most of the zoonotic diseases that the world has seen like rabies, Ebola, ringworm etc. are all transmitted by animals.
Background
World zoonoses day celebrates the success of the first vaccine which was created against the zoonotic disease ‘rabies’. It was developed by Louis Pasteur, a French biologist on 6 July, 1985. It is celebrated to spread awareness about the risks associated with zoonotic diseases.
Significance of Zoonoses Day 2021
This year zoonotic disease day is celebrated amidst the pandemic. Novel coronavirus is a perfect example of zoonosis as it is suspected to have originated from bats.
Theme
The theme of this year is – “Let’s Break the Chain of Zoonotic Transmission”.
Most common Zoonotic Diseases
- Bird Flu – It is found in domesticated birds such as chicken. Transmitted through close contact.
- Ebola Virus – It is found in Chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys and orangutans. Transmitted through body fluids.
- Swine Flu – It is found in pigs and is transmitted through close contact
- Rabies – Found in rats and mice, it is transmitted through bite of rats and urine and mucus secretions.
- Leprosy – Found in monkeys, mice and rabbits. Transmitted through direct contact and consumption of their meat.
Animals play a huge role in spreading Zoonotic diseases. According to Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about 75 percent of new diseases originate from them. The report titled “Preventing the next Pandemic: Zoonotic diseases and how to break the chain is being released. It is a joint effort by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI).
The report suggests raising awareness against zoonotic diseases and expanding scientific enquiry on them; Strengthening capacities among health stakeholders. It suggested taking initiative to develop alternatives for food security and livelihood so they don’t depend on destruction of habitats and biodiversity.
With this, we come to the end of this blog. We talked about zoonotic diseases and how it affects the health of people across the globe. We also mentioned some common zoonotic diseases which had an outbreak in the past years.
Stay tuned with us for more such articles.
